Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation is the Registered Aboriginal Party for all of Boroondara. Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elders can be invited to perform a Welcome to Country and/or smoking ceremony on all areas of land in Boroondara.

Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place is a community-controlled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation based in the Eastern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne. Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place is committed to keeping, promoting and strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural identity. 

Murnong First Peoples Gathering Place, located at 100 High Street in Glen Iris, provides a safe and secure place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to:

• connect and engage in wellbeing, cultural and education activities
• engage with the broader non-Aboriginal community.  

For more information email [email protected].

Moondani Toombadool Centre at Swinburne University was created in 2018. The Moondani Toombadool Centre manages all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander matters at Swinburne. 

This includes:

• student services
• teaching and learning
• research
• staff
• culture
• engagement 
• governance.

Oonah Health & Community Services Aboriginal Corporation is a not-for-profit Indigenous health service.  We offer a range of services to support the health and wellbeing of the Community in the Inner and outer East of Melbourne. Our aim is to support a healthy, strong and skilled Community through our core values of: Respect, Caring and Sharing.

First Peoples – State Relations protects Aboriginal cultural rights and promotes the progression of Treaty, truth and self-determination.

Department of Families, Fairness and Housing works with Aboriginal communities, community organisations, other government departments and mainstream service providers. It aims to improve the health, wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal people in Victoria.

Reconciliation Victoria is a state-wide body that promotes reconciliation across Victoria.

Connecting Home is a state-wide organisation that provides a range of services to survivors of the Stolen Generations.

Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation Inc is the peak body for Aboriginal health and wellbeing in Victoria. It has 32 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations as members. The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation says that an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation is ‘a primary health care service initiated and operated by the local Aboriginal community to deliver holistic, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate health care to the community which controls it, through a locally elected Board of Management’.

Victorian Aboriginal Childcare Agency is a state-wide Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation that supports children, young people, families and community members. 

Boorndawan Willam Aboriginal Healing Service is a specialist Aboriginal-specific family violence service. It provides a service in the eastern metropolitan region, but also includes the inner and outer east areas. 

Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Corporation is a state-wide Aboriginal community-controlled organisation that is dedicated to delivering quality specialist alcohol and drug residential rehabilitation and outreach support services to meet the needs of Aboriginal people and their families.

Boroondara Reconciliation Network is a volunteer-based group that supports reconciliation actions locally. The network was created in 2017 to replace the Boroondara ANTaR group.

The Canoe tree monument is located on Bowyer Avenue, Kew. Its plaque honours a significant scarred canoe tree, which was thought to be more than 1,000 years old. It was cut down at the site in the late 1950s.

The Wurundjeri Trail was opened in 2017 and is located on Chandler Reserve along the Birrarung Yarra River. The Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and the City of Boroondara developed the trail. It showcases the Aboriginal culture and rich history of the area with 6 signs along a 460-metre trail.  

In 2019, artists Ash Firebrace and Tom Civil created a 60-metre-long mural in consultation with Aboriginal Elders. The design celebrates the local flora and fauna and tells the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung story of how the Yarra River was formed (as told by Barak). 

Directions

If you're arriving by car, you can park along Yarra Boulevard close to the Chandler Highway bridge. To access the Main Yarra Trail, you can use either the stairs or a ramp. 

After reaching the trail, make your way below the Chandler Highway bridge and pass by the mural. Keep following the main Yarra Trail until you reach Chandler Reserve, which is across from Guide Dogs Victoria. Keep an eye out for the start of the Wurundjeri Trail, marked by a small dirt path that leads to the Birrarung River. This path is located beside a large grassy area. The first sign you will see on the Wurundjeri Trail is labelled 'Tanderujm - Welcome to Country'.

The Wurundjeri Garden is located on Glan Avon Road, Hawthorn. The Hawthorn Historical Society and Hawthorn Council (now part of the City of Boroondara) created the Wurundjeri Garden with local community members. It was part of a Bush Tucker Trail in 1990. The Council takes care of the gardens, which include indigenous flowering and seeding for future regeneration and seed collection. There are signs included at the garden about the indigenous plants. 

The new Murnong First Peoples Gathering Place in Glen Iris responds to the community's need for a safe gathering place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Boroondara. 

The gathering place also gives non-Aboriginal people in the community an opportunity to learn and understand the histories, cultures and issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  

Within the gathering space, the Wominjeka Garden is open to the community every day, as well as the Murnong Gallery open on Fridays and Saturdays. 

The Swinburne University Hawthorn campus is home to several murals celebrating Aboriginal peoples and culture. 

It's also home to the:

• Aunty Dot Peters AM Flowering Grasslands, which are named after Yarra Yarra Elder Aunty Dot Peters AM. They were designed by Wemba Wemba-Wergaia man, Dean Stewart
• Indigenous Learning Circle, which was launched in early 2024. The learning circle is an outdoor study and community engagement space incorporating parts of Country, people, culture and art. It was designed by Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Swinburne students and staff, the on-campus Moondani Toombadool Centre, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elders and Indigenous Architect Jefa Greenaway. 

The Trail Underpass Mural is located under Burke Road in Glen Iris and was completed in November 2023. 

It pays tribute to the underwater ecosystem of Gardiners Creek (Kooyongkoot) and showcases species like short-finned eels, yabbies, tadpoles​ and aquatic plants.  

Non-Aboriginal artist, Tom Day designed the mural with Elders from Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. The mural wraps around the walls and ceilings of the 45-metre-long underpass.  

Immerse yourself in the serene beauty of Maranoa Botanic Gardens with a unique mindfulness walk guided by 5 audio recordings narrated by Meriam woman (Torres Strait Islander) Alana Marsh. Using Wayapa, an earth connection practice based on ancient Indigenous wisdom, Alana will lead you through the botanic gardens, enhancing your wellbeing and connection to the earth as you explore the rich native flora and the land’s natural beauty. 

Access the guided walk recordings under Points of Interest on the Walking Maps website.